The Devil Wears Prada –Space EP
Tracklist:
- Planet A
- Alien
- Moongod
- Celestial Mechanics – Interlude
- Supernova
- Asteroid
One of Ohio’s finest metal exports, The Devil Wears Prada have been sitting pretty at the top of the second wave of metalcore since the start of the decade, but things in camp Prada have not been going as swimmingly in 2015. Having received a huge blow with the departure of founding member and chief instrumental songwriter Chris Rubey back in March, anyone would imagine a strong comeback from 2013’s underwhelming 8:18 would be a tough ask. How wrong we would be…
Although not a full-length follow up as many fans would desire, an EP was a perfect decision to get the remainder of the band (made up of vocalist Mike Hranica, guitarist and vocalist Jeremy DePoyster, bassist Andy Trick, and drummer Daniel Williams) to recharge their batteries and get them back to what they do best without one of their key members: wrecking havoc in the form of huge riffs and undeniably satisfying, masterful metalcore.
Alas! The boys are back, and with the massive success of their last blistering EP in 2010 – Zombie, which undoubtedly included highlights of the best work in the band’s career thus far, it is no surprise they have again opted for a concept EP, this time choosing the mysterious subject of space, depicted in the stunning star gazing album sleeve.
As the ambient, distant whistle of universal emptiness sets the visual backdrop and echoes throughout your eardrum you feel a storm brewing, and so you should. Nostalgia kicks in as astronaut conversation samples replace the sound of a horde of the undead, and the record blasts into the sound of a revived TDWP on first track “Planet A”. A cracking opener into the new era the four-piece are venturing to, this is a track that displays some of the most emotive and passionate vocal performances and instrumentation since the Dead Throne record. Leading with a simple yet encapsulating riff throughout the whole song as a backdrop for Mike Hranica to viciously deliver his (as always) poetic lyrical work does wonders to lure you in with a somewhat easy listening introduction to your standard Prada record.
A slower pace takes control for the gloomy “Moongod” where Hranica’s vocals make for the centrepiece for the first part of the song. It has to be said that although he screams with the same ferocity and passion as he did at the groups’ inception, it has taken a toll on his voice to the point where his once harrowing roar on tracks like “Born To Lose” has been slightly lost, and doesn’t contain quite the same effect. Aside from these sections of the song, “Moongod” stirs up some pretty emotional material and vocal pieces from Jeremy DePoyster that are followed by a very rapid-fire riff section that comes into it’s own on the breakdown.
Where a lot of modern day metal bands seemed to have fully embraced the god awful genre of ‘djent’ into their style, it is good to see The Devil Wears Prada have held their own and exploited the qualities they are known for in the name of real metal. This could not be more apparent in the monster of a track “Alien”. Explosive and thunderous, this is exactly the kind of evolved Prada you could have predicted after listening to the Zombie EP five years ago and it’s a shame this is the shortest song on the album as the impact could have been even more apparent. The interlude allows even further emphasis and colour to your picture of space before it makes way for one of the best songs in the band’s back catalogue – “Supernova”. An unexpected delight bursting with character and an unforgettable chorus, Supernova breaks any boundaries made in the last record 8:18 and lifts them to new heights. Finishing the album with an equally strong effort in the dark and heavy “Asteroid”, Space is still able to surprise you to the last note and really showcase Prada’s capabilities.
With the Space EP, The Devil Wears Prada have not only shown they can still find the inspiration and quality to release a solid record, but proven to themselves more than anyone that they are more than able to push on without a key member and rediscover what made them so special in the first place. Space offers listeners a refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable taste of what we can expect from the revitalized new-look The Devil Wears Prada.
